Czech Pair: Mystery Man Is Our Son

Alleged amnesiac says he's 'about to be rescued from hell'
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 10, 2014 5:55 AM CDT
Czech Pair: Mystery Man Is Our Son
"John Smith" may soon find out his real name.   (Oslo Police)

He may have been unable to remember who he was, but his hunch that he was a Czech may have been spot on. Police today said a Czech couple has identified a man apparently suffering from amnesia, found in a Norwegian snowdrift in December, as their 36-year-old son, the AP reports—though it's still not clear what he was doing in Norway. The man, who has been going by the name John Smith, had previously said, "I think I'm Czech, it is the language I understand best," and now says he is "about to be rescued from hell."

What that hell entailed? "I was robbed," he says, and signs indicate he may have been held for days with his hands tied. "I was for sure sexually assaulted, and then I was thrown onto a street in Oslo," the man tells the AFP. "Maybe I was too trustful. Maybe I let some people too close to me and they had some fun with me," he adds, noting, "they basically used Oslo as a garbage place to dump me." He has no idea who "they" are, however. But four months after he was found—on the brink of death, he says—"John Smith" is excited to get back home. "This is extraordinary, fantastic, and the best thing that could have happened," he says. (More amnesia stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X